The Logging Camp would produce 200 units of lumber per week, a staggering amount of wood. This came from the fact that the special area I had access to was magical in nature. I had not known this until Alamander came into my office, drunk out of his mind and shouting about woodland fairies. Apparently, they had blessed those woods to grow perpetually in order to encourage humans to not deforest the entire region. At first, Alamander had thought the presence of magic in the woods was dangerous, but after he sobered up, he realized the blessing and conveyed it to me.
It was an oddity, for me, an adult man, to be sitting across from an equally adult man, discussing woodland fairies without an ounce of humor in our voices. I wondered if the fairies were still in the woods, but he explained that they created these areas to keep us away from them. But such magic! I began to wonder what the possibilities of such blessings could be for the rest of our resources. Why search for more when we could simply cast spells to double our harvests? Yet another thing for me to look into. Once this influx of money came in from the Western Route, I’d be able to afford a Wizard’s Tower, for magical research.
However, I did not have time to continue musing about fairies. I had a road to create! The details of road creation were fairly simple. From the Great Picture, I could simply select the road option, choose my building material, and then with my hand—as if I were drawing on the map—drag a line as far as I wanted. The line would become a work order to create the road, taking the gold from my account instantly and then setting the workers to begin working on it. The road to the West was 300 miles, but at 1 gold piece per mile, including labor, it would only cost me 300 gold total.
Construction of this road would take roughly a month. This meant I could pay as I went, create smaller strips that would be joined together eventually. I dragged out the first route with my finger, watching the overlay inform me of exactly how long and how expensive the road would be. 100 miles, straight from Tine to the west. There was a slight discomfort in my stomach, an anxiety about finally seeing this come to fruition. I had been through a lot to get this road started, but I could tell that there was going to be more struggles to come. Still, I couldn’t let my fears hold me back. I had come this far. It was time to finally see the construction of the Western Route. This would be the best of Tine, that much I knew.
Chapter 27
The construction of the road was quite an event. While the workers were more than willing to travel out and do their jobs, the fact was—without a Foreman—they were hopelessly incompetent at what they were doing. I was forced to spend 80 gold to promote three different peasants to Foreman, so that they were able to create construction teams.
Each construction team was given a specific task, as coordinated by their construction leaders. The first team was in charge of digging the roads out. The second was charged with transportation of lumber and waste material. And the third placed the roads. With this newfound efficiency, they were working significantly faster, and without any confusion in rules. The construction time began to drop down as their momentum picked up. This assembly line style of working would have our first 100 miles finished in a week.
I had also attached the Jerky Station to the Butchery, spending a meager 50 gold to add it. The jerky would be sent with the construction teams, reducing their need to return home in the evening. Rather, they could simply camp, content to survive with the preserved foodstuffs and the water we shipped to them via caravan.
Yet, as they worked, I could see one stat begin to significantly drop. The village health went from being at a 5, mostly healthy, to a negative 15. Examining the breakdown gave me cursory information; I’d need to have a Town Healer to learn more. But from what I could tell, the sheer amount of work these men and women were doing had a profound effect on their health. The long hours, even with the Foreman’s automatically scheduled breaks, were exhausting them, and small injuries were regularly incurred by individuals. Most of these situations were uncomfortable, but temporary.
There wasn’t much that I could do. I wasn’t crazy about pushing my teams too hard, but the money was drying up. Our weekly income had been severely damaged by the presence of the Mercenary Lodge, and thanks to a blacklist from the Tradesmen, there weren’t travelers coming in and out of the village anymore. There was an option to boost our revenue, but I was so hesitant to do so. Taxation was never well received, especially since tourism had dried up due to our conflict with the Tradies.
I tried to ask my diplomacy advisor for assistance, but she informed me that her area of expertise was outside of the village. I would need a Judge for this kind of support. Unfortunately, I only had two advisor slots, as the village still had a ways to go before leveling up again. One thing Teresa had mentioned, in our private conversation out in the woods, overlooking the construction, was that I could always release the services of an advisor and hire a different one.
I knew what her suggestion meant. She wanted me to get rid of Hemmings and hire a Judge. I knew she didn’t care for the man, but there was some solid wisdom behind her words. Hemmings had taught me a lot, he had given me such wisdom and knowledge, but he had become increasingly less and less useful, the more advanced things became. But to fire him? Oh, that would be such a slap in the face.
I wished that I had mulled over the decision longer, or at least agonized over it, for the sake of appearing empathetic, but the truth was that sometimes people outlived their usefulness. A good leader knew when to trim the fat. I was grateful for Mayor Hemming and all of his help, but he was occupying a slot that a Judge could be sitting in.
So, I called the Mayor into my office and prepared for a conversation that I had held with dozens of prominent men and women before. And like all of these unfortunate meetings, he came in with a smile, wondering what good news I had for him today.
“I’m going to cut to the chase,” I said as he took his seat. “I think you have been a loyal member of this team, but unfortunately, I cannot retain your services as an advisor any longer.” Ripping off the bandage was the easiest way for these meetings to go. I braced for impact.
“Really?” he asked, his face becoming even brighter. “You mean I can retire?”
“You aren’t angry?” I asked, tilting my head a little. Hemmings hopped up and waved for me to follow him into the main lobby.
“Not in the least. I’ve been waiting for the day you finally realized I was wasting a slot,” he said. “Let’s be honest, you’re really smart. You’ve gained control of the people’s trust, you’ve been running the show smoothly, any advice I have to give is basic and perfunctory,” he said as he walked over to a large cabinet. I had never bothered to check what was inside this, but he seemed to know exactly what was there.
He opened it up, revealing a fishing rod, a bucket and a hat. “I built this rod, by hand, when I was fifteen,” he said. “And all I’ve ever wanted to do was fish for the village. But no, my brother had to die, leaving me as the sole heir to running Tine.”
“That’s unfortunate,” I said.
Hemmings nodded. “I’ve done everything I can for you. I’ve given everything to this village. Now? I’m going to retire, head to the lake and do what I’ve always wanted to do. Promote me to Fisherman when you have the coin for it, so the village generates fish too, but unless it’s an emergency, please don’t bother me.”
I had heard this kind of retirement speech countless times as well. I laughed and patted Hemmings on the back. “Then we both get what we want. Thank you, for your help. I know everyone praises me for my role, but you were the one to take the risk in giving me the Great Picture.”
Hemmings nodded at that. “And you were the one willing to risk your life to do us right. I was just the catalyst, nothing more. And besides, it was all a complicated scam to finally get to retire. Elsewise I’d still be doing this job.”
We shook hands and Hemmings departed, to set up his new life down by the lake, where he’d fish and relax for the rest of his
days. I opened up the Great Picture and finalized the decision by removing him as my civil advisor. Immediately, new options popped up for different types of advisors to choose from. But the one that I needed the most right now was a Judge.
Leopold was the best pick, and since he was an elder, the people would listen to him. The Judge would handle rulings when it came to disputes within the village. He was also able to support new laws that came in, by pronouncing them to be just or unjust. Making legal changes without a Judge, such as changes in taxation, could lead the people to split into factions about how they felt about it. But with a Judge to declare whether the law adjustment was just or not, he would help to ease the concerns from the people.
And so, I selected Leopold as my newest advisor, a Judge who would assist me in implementing a taxation policy that would help our village, without being too oppressive. I could see the shining blue light come down upon him as he worked in the fields, cutting down wheat and barley for the harvest. He paused to look upwards, as if he could see the light above him. And then, he spoke, through the Great Picture.
“You wish me to be your Judge? I am humbled, but I must ask why me?”
“I admire you, Leopold, for you have tremendous weight within this village. You speak with certainty and the people trust you,” I told him. “It would only be fitting for you to rule in matters of judgment and law.”
“Very well,” Leopold said. “But I cannot farm while doing this role. I shall transfer my title to my son, if that is okay with you.”
“Of course,” I said. I didn’t realize that villagers could transfer their promotions to one another. Perhaps it only applied to family members. I would ask Hemmings, but I was on my own for now.
“Then what is it that you wish for me to do?” he asked. “No doubt you had a need for a Judge. With all this construction going on, are there disputes between workers?”
“Not quite. There are injuries, exhaustion. Our finances are growing stretched but we need a Town Healer. Without proper taxation of the people, I’m not able to build a Healer’s Hut, or an Apothecary.”
“Ahhhhh, of course,” Leopold said. He brought up the taxation menu in front of me, manipulating the overlay as if he had been doing so for all his life. The taxation was currently set to zero. The total prosperity the village had was 300 gold per month. “Right now, our laws and traditions are that of obedience and reverence towards the leader,” he said. “But with the belief that the leader must respect our way of life. We use the gold we generate each month to purchase items, luxuries and even beers at the tavern. We pay each other with that gold.”
“Of course, but how much would they be willing to give up for the common good?”
The slider began to adjust from zero to 15%. “This is what they would consider to be a good deal.” The slider then moved to double, 30%. “And this is the maximum they can tolerate with my pronouncement of it being a just taxation. Any further and not even I would be able to get them to accept the loss of their gold.”
Following his recommendation, I would be able to gain 90 gold per month. Not the most amount of money, but enough to at least build the Healer’s Hut.
“How frequently can I collect?” I asked, eyeing the taxation frequency button. I could choose between daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, yearly and one-time. I had already done the one-time tax at the very beginning of my career.
“I would suggest a monthly tax,” he said. “And seeing how you need the gold now, I will be the one to pronounce the start of the tax due date.”
“Won’t they be upset?”
Leopold chuckled. “Oh yes, they’ll be unhappy with me, but I’m a Judge. My job isn’t to be popular. But I warn you, my job isn’t to follow your every whim, either. I will implement laws and ensure that order is maintained.”
A new sheet appeared in front of me, one that I had not seen before. This was a list of laws that Tine was currently operating under. The Government type at the top was still listed as Gerontocracy.
“These are the current laws that hold Tine together,” he explained. I could see five different classifications, all with options beneath them. There was Taxation, Conscription, Ownership, Migration and Religion.
“Fascinating,” I said, looking over these different policies. Conscription set the rules for how many people could be pressed into military service, under what circumstances I was allowed to summon them for war, what their pay was to be, etc. Ownership pertained to property and whether citizens had the right to build or own private property. Migration controlled whether people could join the village or leave the village, and Religion was locked due to not having a Temple in the area.
“Now that you have a Judge, my job is to ensure that the will of the current government is enforced. This means that you cannot go against these laws. I have the power to veto any decision that you make if it is contrary to our laws.”
“And the council of elders makes these laws,” I said.
“Exactly. And frankly, they’re not going to be changing any of the rules so far. If you want to see them changed, you’ll have to win them over.”
I understood what he was alluding to. By hiring a Judge, I was now able to see behind the curtain of the political situation. I had been making choices, unaware of how people would perceive them. But now, I would be able to know exactly what traditions that the elders wanted me to keep. More importantly, I could see what they were willing to tolerate when it came to taxes.
The current taxation policy was that there were no restrictions on the percentage of taxation, but I was only able to increase established taxes once per year. I was, however, free to create up to three separate tax policies and could decrease taxes at any time.
“Fortunately, the elders understand that collective contribution is required for the good of the people,” Leopold continued. “So you won’t have to worry about taxation restrictions being too oppressive. They merely want you to stay consistent with what you’re going to take. But remember, just because you’re following their rules doesn’t mean they’ll always approve of what you are doing.”
“So if they think I’m abusing the power they’ve given me…”
“They’ll take it away. And Gerontocracy can change laws by majority vote of the elders.”
“Can they affect anything else that I do?” I asked. The last thing I wanted was for them to suddenly veto my road or some other major endeavor.
“What you see on this list is what they are concerned with. Anything else you do is entirely up to you.”
Looking at all these policies and options was exciting, and I felt my heart soar a little at the idea of further developing the village. There would come a time when I would change the government, I knew. And when that happened, I would be free to further develop my own idea of how Tine should operate. But for now, I had a solid understanding of my village’s function, and more importantly, I knew what I was allowed to do with taxes.
And so, I created the first, permanent tax for the village. The Tine Medical Care Tax, as I called it, would take 30 percent of all monthly income from the village and invest it directly into improving the health infrastructure of the town. Judge Leopold would stand in the village square and read the new decree, then before everyone, pronounce the law to be just and fair, in line with traditions and necessary for the good of all. Coins were collected and a Healer’s Hut was lined up for construction. The Health of the village went up, while the Satisfaction dropped just a little. This dissatisfaction, of course, would only last until the unhappy members became sick. Then, as the healer tended to them, they would see exactly where their money had gone.
Chapter 28
News had arrived that there had been a terrible battle in Igithor. A wayward traveler, with a desire to get away from his old job as a Tradie and a desire for good beer, stopped by our Tavern and loudly talked about the violence that had overtaken the Tradesmen’s main hall. While he was nothing more than a simple wareh
ouse worker, he had been privy to watching the entire events unfold in front of him as he was heading to the guild hall to drop off some paperwork.
Apparently, fifty burly men, wearing Tradesmen armor, were standing outside of the barricade guild hall, trying their hardest to break in. Shouts and cries from inside the building indicated that, if the doors were broken down, a fight would ensue. The leader, who did not have a name in this story, had shouted that Tanders needed to surrender himself… or else. Fighting broke out and our storyteller decided it was time for him to quit this branch. He had already been through one civil war; he didn’t want to deal with another.
This was good news for me, at least in the sense that my plan had been working just as I had hoped. Tanders and Henderson Aims were in a conflict now. But what I didn’t know was whether this battle was the beginning, middle or end of the fight. If Tanders had been captured by the invading party, then perhaps the struggle was over. But if that were the case, would Henderson even know that I was a thorn in their side? I suppose only time would tell.
In the meantime, we had almost finished the last 100 mile stretch, leading deep into the territory of the west. We were getting dangerously close to Savannah’s border. I wondered what would be waiting for me when we finally arrived. Would she welcome the iron with open arms? Or would she be frustrated with me?
I was preparing to ride with Hatha to deliver the iron as the last of the road was being finished. We had managed to collect 200 units of iron total, which would be more than enough for Savannah’s forces. We also had a large shipment of lumber. Hatha had leveled up once more during her time running shipments back and forth between Reed, granting her the ability to command one more wagon in her team. There were no perks to choose from this level, because of the new ability she had acquired.
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